for learners and teachers of English

Main menu

Post navigation

The History of the English Language

I found this video on the history of the English language that is both a pretty accurate and pretty funny summary of a semester-long course I took in college. If only YouTube had been around back then it would have saved me a lot of time because the content of this video is all I remember about the subject anyway. This is definitely worth watching.

3 thoughts on “The History of the English Language”

I think that one of the biggest iusess for English language learners is trying to accurately communicate with those who do not speak their native language. I have never been to another country, so I do not know what it would be like to be surrounded by people who did not speak the same language that I did, but I imagine that it would be really frustrating. Sometimes it is frustrating on my end of the conversation, trying to understand exactly what a foreign person is asking when a question arises, so I can only imagine how they feel. Another issue for them may be trying to figure out how to hold onto their native culture and still adopt some of the ways of the English culture so that they can better adapt to their surroundings. This can be a very confusing and frustrating experience, especially when they are constantly surrounded by the second culture on a day to day basis. It could also be that the English language learners are forced to forget their native culture altogether. Some schools may not be open to other cultures and may try to force students to forget about their native culture and adopt the mainstream culture’s views. This can be very hard for children and can also impede their ability to learn English.There are many ways that one can address these iusess. It is important to be understanding of other cultures and not become frustrated as they try to communicate with you. It is probably a lot harder for them to try to come up with the words to say than it is for you to try and comprehend what they are saying. It is also important to be open to other cultures and want to learn about them. We cannot just force the English language on them. If we allow them to retain some of their native culture, then they will be able to adopt the English language more quickly. It is easy to look down on others when we are not the ones struggling to learn something new, but what everyone needs to remember is that if the situation were reversed, you could be in the same situation as the English language learners, just in another country learning a different language.

in the classroom due to the lagunage difference between English and their native lagunage. Initially, this is a hard one to combat since many times the student will not come out and say, Hey, I don’t understand, could you please explain it to me. Fear of standing out and appearing not as smart as the rest of the class keeps them from speaking out. Children want to be accepted and that feeling of being on the outside looking in is overwhelming, especially when that child has no other members of his/her culture in the group of people they are with. Many times the child will act like they understand when they don’t so as not to call attention to themselves which puts a big strain on their academic performance.To correct this problem, perhaps the teacher, when seeing an assignment with what appears to be poor effort, should talk to that student one on one and ask them what the assignment was. about. Once a teacher notices this, she/he should pay attention to make sure they take a moment one on one (so as not to embarrass the student) and explain the assignment being given from there on out. Additionally, perhaps she could find someone who knows the lagunage spoken by the child and give them directions in their native lagunage as well as in English. This will provide an opportunity to compare the two lagunages and learn how it is being said in English so when the child moves on, he/she has a better understanding of what is being asked of them. It is imperative that the teacher also documents this lagunage issue and provides information on what worked best for them.

A large problem for an ELL stunedt is being expected to learn in a foreign setting where there’s a new set of rules that could clash with that of their own culture. When an ELL stunedt enters a new classroom, they are not only stepping into a new culture but a new learning environment as well. Simple tasks, like turning in homework, can cause problems because the routines and expectations are different. A new learning environment can cause confusion, apprehensiveness, and frustration to stunedts. In order to help smooth the transition and help stunedts understand, teachers need to be sensitive to the child’s viewpoint and explain to them the system. Even if the teacher isn’t able to communicate with the child using language, they can demonstrate examples by using other children or themselves to make an English Language Learner’s everyday routine more comfortable. This will eventually allow the child to feel like they are able to flow in their new classroom without standing out because they know what’s expected of them. For example, when a class leaves to go to music the ELL stunedt knows they are expected to walk down the hall in a line and not wander around because that’s what has been shown to them.